Visualizing hierarchical time-series data

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for visualizing data include forming hierarchically related graphs having a common time-series axis. The hierarchically related graphs are displayed in a linear arrangement, such that shared values on the common time-series axis align for each graph. The hierarchically related graphs are automatically updated in accordance with a user selection of an element in a data hierarchy by removing graphs below a lowest-order common ancestor in the data hierarchy between the user selection and a previously displayed selection and replacing the removed graphs with new graphs that reflect the user selection.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present invention relates to graphical interfaces and, moreparticularly, to graphical user interfaces for displaying time-seriesdata with hierarchical relationships.

Description of the Related Art

Waste management is a hallmark of civilization, and as cities growlarger, the amount of waste involved grows proportionally. Managingwaste better means building an understanding of the relationshipsbetween different kinds of waste and how they are generated over time.

In one example, a materials recovery facility (MRF) is a facility wheresolid waste and recyclables are sorted to recover materials. The numberof MRFs in the United States has grown, from 40 in 1991 to 736 in 2012.As waste comes into a MRF, the administration of the MRF depends onhaving an accurate picture of what types of waste are being processedand how to manage them.

One exemplary scenario includes a city that has a diversion rate of 19%,compared to the United States average of 34%, measuring the amount ofwaste that is diverted from landfills. This city aims to increase itsdiversion rates in the first year of the program to 55% and to 75% aftertwo years. In this system, waste is sorted at a central facility, wherefinished goods using the recycled materials are produced on-site. Thevolume of different materials are tracked and analyzed to enhance wasteuse. However, to be a useful member of the local economy, the MRF willneed to provide accurate projections of their output, just like newproduction provides.

Existing techniques for visualizing materials' time-series data attemptto categorize the material, but their presentation of the information isdifficult to understand and can necessitate a very large amount of spacededicated to the visualization to properly display all of theinformation.

SUMMARY

A method for visualizing data includes forming hierarchically relatedgraphs having a common time-series axis. The hierarchically relatedgraphs are displayed in a linear arrangement, such that shared values onthe common time-series axis align for each graph. The hierarchicallyrelated graphs are automatically updated in accordance with a userselection of an element in a data hierarchy by removing graphs below alowest-order common ancestor in the data hierarchy between the userselection and a previously displayed selection and replacing the removedgraphs with new graphs that reflect the user selection.

A system for visualizing data includes a graphing module that isconfigured to form hierarchically related graphs having a commontime-series axis. A user interface is configured to display thehierarchically related graphs in a linear arrangement, such that sharedvalues on the common time-series axis align for each graph, and furtherconfigured to automatically update the hierarchically related graphs inaccordance with a user selection of an element in a data hierarchy byremoving graphs below a lowest-order common ancestor in the datahierarchy between the user selection and a previously displayedselection and replacing the removed graphs with new graphs that reflectthe user selection.

A system for visualizing data includes a graphing module having aprocessor configured to form a plurality of hierarchically relatedgraphs having a common time-series axis in accordance with a userselection of an element in a data hierarchy. A user interface isconfigured to display the plurality of hierarchically related graphs ina linear arrangement, such that shared values on the common time-seriesaxis align for each graph. Each graph has a parent or child relationshipwith each adjacent graph.

These and other features and advantages will become apparent from thefollowing detailed description of illustrative embodiments thereof,which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure will provide details in the following description ofpreferred embodiments with reference to the following figures wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a user interface for displaying hierarchicallyrelated time-series data for a single category hierarchy in accordancewith the present principles;

FIG. 2 is a diagram of a user interface element for overlaying multipletypes of time series data accordance with the present principles;

FIG. 3 is a block/flow diagram of a method for displaying hierarchicallyrelated time-series data in accordance with the present principles;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a system for displaying hierarchicallyrelated time-series data in accordance with the present principles;

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a user interface for displaying hierarchicallyrelated time-series data for multiple category hierarchies in accordancewith the present principles;

FIG. 6 is a diagram of a user interface element for switching betweencategories of hierarchically related time-series data in accordance withthe present principles; and

FIG. 7 is a diagram of a user interface for displaying hierarchicallyrelated time-series data in accordance with the present principles.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide visualizations ofhierarchical time-series data. This helps users understand the breakdownof categories into sub-categories and to compare multiple time-series ina single view. To accomplish this goal, the present embodiments use aseries of charts that show bar graphs along a time axis, allowing forprecise breakdowns of the composition of different categories and theirrelationships.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a user interface 102 for visualizinghierarchical time-series data is shown. The interface includes threeprimary information places: a data category plane 104, a graph plane106, and a control plane 110. The graph plane 106 includes one or moregraphs 108 that correspond to selected categories, sub-categories, anditems in the data category plane 104. Each graph 108 shows a breakdown112 for a selected category in one of several different formats. Theformats may include individual bar graphs for each sub-element of theselected element, a combined bar graph with different segments showingrespective magnitudes of sub-elements, or a single bar showing the sizeof the entire element. In addition, multiple items on a given level canbe selected for a single graph and compared directly. Each graph 108shows how the selected item changes over time. This provides a directvisual comparison of parent and child time-series data. The graph pane108 may also include a legend 114 that allows a user to select specificelements to display.

When a user selects an element from the data category pane 104, a graph108 is generated in the graph plane 106 that may include, by default,all of the sub-elements of the selected element. By selecting multipleelements, a direct comparison of each of those categories is shown in asingle graph 108. The selected categories are highlighted (in this case,shown as bold text).

The control plane 110 may include one or more options to affect thedisplay of information in the graph plane 106. For example, an option inthe control plane 110 may toggle the display of the legend 114 in thegraph plane 106, allowing a user to fit more graphs 108 in the graphplane 106. Information identifying a bar or segment in a graph 108 canstill be obtained by moving a pointer over the relevant graph element todisplay a tooltip that hovers over the graph 108 and provides additionalinformation. Another possible option for the control plane 110 is toallow the user to toggle whether the breakdown of a given element isshown in the graphs 108.

It should be noted that the various planes in the interface 102 may berearranged or shown in different locations and proportions. The layoutshown in FIG. 1 is intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Inaddition, one or more of the illustrated planes may be omitted. Forexample, the control plane 110 may be omitted to leave more space forthe data category plane 104 or the graph plane 106, with the functionsof the control plane 110 being available, for example, in a menu. Itshould also be recognized that the graph plane 106 need not be orientedvertically, but may instead be oriented horizontally. Regardless oforientation, the graphs 108 should align in some direction, and shouldhave a common scale on at least one of the X and Y axes, such thatinformation may be directly compared between graphs 108. In either case,it is contemplated that the graphs 108 will be arranged linearly, eitherhorizontally or vertically, such that the axis having the common scalefor each graph 108 will align, with values of a first graph on that axisvisually aligning with values of each other graph on the same axis.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a graph 108 is shown with additionaltime-series data 202 superimposed over it. This time-series data 202 canrepresent forecasted data (previously forecasted or looking into thefuture) or may represent some other form of data that would nototherwise fall into one of the categories selectable in the datacategory plane 104. These data 202 may be toggled using an option in thecontrol plane. The additional time-series data 202 may represent, forexample, precipitation, temperature, or population.

Although it is specifically contemplated that the present embodimentsmay have particular utility in the field of waste management, it shouldbe understood that the present embodiments may be employed in any fieldof endeavor to help users visualize complex, hierarchical time-seriesdata. The use of analytics in the field of waste management is in itsinfancy. By having an easy-to-use interface that provides intuitivefeatures, the present embodiments allow waste management field expertsto analyze the data without being particular experts in data analytics.

This is particularly advantageous in fields which deal with material ina hierarchical manner. In waste management, for example, paper waste maybe divided into different sub-categories of waste such as, e.g., color,white, newsprint, magazine, etc. This sort of arrangement makes thestacked bar chart useful, as it immediately conveys the total amount ofthe category while also showing the breakdown of the sub-categories andtheir relative proportions of the total. The user can then “drill down”to specific sub-categories of interest, with each step providing moredetail regarding the selected sub-category. This allows the operator totake action based on detailed information, for example decreasing thetotal weight and the weight of large sub-categories of waste.

However, just showing a single graph 108 may not provide all of theinformation an operator needs. Toward this end, the graph plane 106shows a set of graphs 108, each graph 108 having a parent or childrelationship to its adjacent graphs. This helps the operator to, forexample, visualize a sub-category that makes a relatively smallcontribution to the total for its parent category. Thus, the scale ofthe child graph will be adjusted automatically to show the smallervariations in the child's data. This also helps visualize the trends inthe sub-category relative to the totals for the parent category. Forexample, if the user is viewing the category of textiles, it would bereadily apparent in this contact if the pattern of increases anddecreases in the weight of all textiles is similar to the pattern of aspecific sub-category, such as “feedstock,” because both charts would beshown simultaneously. The user can rapidly switch between differentsub-categories by interacting directly with the parent graph, selectinga new sub-category by clicking on it in the graph or by manuallyselecting it in the data category plane 104.

For sub-categories that have children, being able to drill down in thisfashion and visualize the details of the grandparent, parent, and childgraph all at once gives the user a simple way to look at trends and spotanomalies. For example, if “feedstock” has a child category of“magazines,” the user can see “paper,” “feedstock,” and “magazines” allin a single view. This can allow a user to see, for example, that aspecific sub-category is not behaving as expected according to thetrends of its parents. For example, if the “magazine” chart shows adropoff in volume without a corresponding dropoff in other types ofwaste, this prompts the operator to ask whether there is an operationsproblem or a fault in data recording. The user can thereby quicklyidentify anomalies and recognize trends, which can facilitateimprovements in operations.

To use another example, consider a materials recovery facility (MRF)that sorts steel and many types of feedstock from weight. In thisexample, steel has a parent category of “metals”, and the increases anddecreases of weight of steel are almost the same as the changes to themetals category as a whole. In other words, the volume of steeldominates the metals category. However, in one scenario, the weight ofsteel decreased compared to the expected weight based on the weight ofthe “metals” category. This is immediately apparent because the “metals”and “steel” charts are shown simultaneously, allowing an operator todirectly compare the two.

The operator can then take measures to learn more and correct anyproblems. For example, the problem may be that the steel's sortingmachine has declined in its capability (for example because of amechanical problem or because of the inoperability of one or more partsof a sorting facility). The operator can then see to it that the sorteris repaired.

One way to assist in spotting such trends is to make one axis of thegraphs 108 follow the same scale. If the graphs 108 are arrangedvertically, then the horizontal axis should be on the same scale. Ifthis axis is time, then the graphs 108 will be aligned such thathorizontal values on a first graph correspond with the same horizontalvalues on a second graph. In an alternative embodiment, graph panel 106may be oriented horizontally, with the graphs 108 being displayedleft-to-right. In this case, the scales of the respective vertical axesmay be made to share common values, such that the vertical values ofeach graph correspond with the same vertical values of adjacent graphs.When this is the case, then the labels for the axis having the commonscale need only be shown once, as it will be consistent across allgraphs. The axis labels can then be dynamically shown and hidden as auser scrolls between graphs 108.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a method of visualizing hierarchical,time-series data is shown. In block 302, a user selects one or moreelements from the data category plane 104 or by directly interactingwith an existing graph 108 in the graph plane 106. Block 304 thenformulates the graphs that correspond to the user's selections. Block306 displays the graphs hierarchically in the graph plane 106, withparent graphs being oriented, e.g., above child graphs. The graphs 108displayed by block 306 share a consistent scale on their respective timeaxes, such that time-series information can be directly compared betweenneighboring graphs 108.

When the user selects a category that shares some of the hierarchy witha previous selection, block 304 need not formulate all of the graphsover again. Instead, a lowest-order common ancestor for the newselection and the old selection are determined by traversing thehierarchy of categories up until reaching a category that is in the oldset of graphs. Block 304 then calculates new graphs only for theselected categories below that lowest-order common ancestor and block306 replaces any outdated graphs with the newly formulated graphs.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” ofthe present principles, as well as other variations thereof, means thata particular feature, structure, characteristic, and so forth describedin connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodimentof the present principles. Thus, the appearances of the phrase “in oneembodiment” or “in an embodiment”, as well any other variations,appearing in various places throughout the specification are notnecessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

It is to be appreciated that the use of any of the following “/”,“and/or”, and “at least one of”, for example, in the cases of “A/B”, “Aand/or B” and “at least one of A and B”, is intended to encompass theselection of the first listed option (A) only, or the selection of thesecond listed option (B) only, or the selection of both options (A andB). As a further example, in the cases of “A, B, and/or C” and “at leastone of A, B, and C”, such phrasing is intended to encompass theselection of the first listed option (A) only, or the selection of thesecond listed option (B) only, or the selection of the third listedoption (C) only, or the selection of the first and the second listedoptions (A and B) only, or the selection of the first and third listedoptions (A and C) only, or the selection of the second and third listedoptions (B and C) only, or the selection of all three options (A and Band C). This may be extended, as readily apparent by one of ordinaryskill in this and related arts, for as many items listed.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a system for visualizing hierarchical,time-series data 400 is shown. The system 400 includes a hardwareprocessor 402 and memory 404. A display 406 and an input device form auser interface, allowing the system 400 to display graphical and textualinformation to a user and to receive commands from the user. The system400 includes one or more modules, each of which may be implemented assoftware running on the processor 402. Alternatively, the modules may beimplemented as standalone hardware devices in the form of, e.g., anapplication specific integrated chip or field programmable gate array.

The system 400 stores time-series data 408 in memory 404. A graphingmodule 410 formulates graphs 108 relating to the time-series data 408 inresponse to a user's command and the display 406 displays these graphs108 in a hierarchical fashion in, e.g., graph plane 106. The graphingmodule 410 continues to accept the user's inputs and updates theinformation shown on display 406 in response.

Referring now to FIG. 5, an alternate embodiment is shown that providesthe option of performing selection of categories using a widget directlyon the graph plane 106. For example, the widget 502 allows a user toselect a category hierarchy for a given graph 108. It is specificallycontemplated that the graphs 108 are all hierarchically related to oneanother. In other words, each graph 108 should all have a parent-childrelationship to adjacent graphs 108.

In addition, this embodiment shows a set of different categoryhierarchies 504, each with a distinct category root. These differenthierarchies correspond to the options available in the widget 502, suchthat the widget switches between category hierarchies.

Referring now to FIG. 6, it is shown how the widget 502 can be used todisplay multiple orthogonal categories. A first graph 602 shows thewidget 502 being set to “none,” with no category being selected. Eachbar of the graph shows the total material at each point in time. In asecond graph 604, the widget 502 is set to “Material,” with the sametotals now being divided into different types of material. Similarly thethird graph 606 has the widget 502 set to “Location,” with the totalsbeing divided up into the different locations. Selecting one of theregions of one of the bar graphs will select that specific category anddisplay a new graph below that shows further breakdowns. For example, ifthe user selected a specific state (e.g., New York) from one of the barson graph 606, a new graph would be generated (as in FIG. 5) that shows afurther breakdown by, e.g., region or city.

Referring now to FIG. 7, an alternate embodiment is shown where markerson the time axis of the graphs are compressed to save space. Inparticular, graphs 702 that are on top of the graph plane 106 have theirlabels suppressed, with only the bottom graph 704 showing the timelabels 706. For a long series of graphs 108, where the bottommost graphmay fall outside the visible portion of the graph plane 106, thebottommost graph that is fully visible will be displayed with itslabels. The graph plane 106 will then dynamically adjust the displayedgraphs as a user scrolls through the graphs, adding and removing labelsas needed.

Having described preferred embodiments of visualizing hierarchicaltime-series data (which are intended to be illustrative and notlimiting), it is noted that modifications and variations can be made bypersons skilled in the art in light of the above teachings. It istherefore to be understood that changes may be made in the particularembodiments disclosed which are within the scope of the invention asoutlined by the appended claims. Having thus described aspects of theinvention, with the details and particularity required by the patentlaws, what is claimed and desired protected by Letters Patent is setforth in the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method forvisualizing data, comprising: forming a plurality of hierarchicallyrelated graphs having a common time-series axis; displaying theplurality of hierarchically related graphs in a linear arrangement, suchthat shared values on the common time-series axis align for each graph;and automatically updating the plurality of hierarchically relatedgraphs in accordance with a user selection of an element in a datahierarchy by removing graphs below a lowest-order common ancestor in thedata hierarchy between the user selection and a previously displayedselection and replacing the removed graphs with new graphs that reflectthe user selection.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein a graph that islower-order in the hierarchy shows a more detailed breakdown of at leastone element of a respective graph that is higher-order in the hierarchy.3. The method of claim 1, wherein each graph that includes multiplecategories arranges the multiple categories in a vertical bar withmagnitudes of each of the multiple categories adding to form a magnitudeof the vertical bar.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein automaticallyupdating the plurality of hierarchically related graphs comprisesremoving graphs that are not included in a hierarchy of the userselection and replacing the removed graphs with new graphs that reflectthe user selection.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprisingdisplaying information regarding a category in a graph in response to auser's interaction with the graph through an input interface.
 6. Anon-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising a computerreadable program for visualizing data, wherein the computer readableprogram when executed on a computer causes the computer to perform thesteps of: forming a plurality of hierarchically related graphs having acommon time-series axis; displaying the plurality of hierarchicallyrelated graphs in a linear arrangement, such that shared values on thecommon time-series axis align for each graph; and automatically updatingthe plurality of hierarchically related graphs in accordance with a userselection of an element in a data hierarchy by removing graphs below alowest-order common ancestor in the data hierarchy between the userselection and a previously displayed selection and replacing the removedgraphs with new graphs that reflect the user selection.
 7. A system forvisualizing data, comprising: a graphing module comprising a processorconfigured to form a plurality of hierarchically related graphs having acommon time-series axis; and a user interface configured to display theplurality of hierarchically related graphs in a linear arrangement, suchthat shared values on the common time-series axis align for each graph,and further configured to automatically update the plurality ofhierarchically related graphs in accordance with a user selection of anelement in a data hierarchy by removing graphs below a lowest-ordercommon ancestor in the data hierarchy between the user selection and apreviously displayed selection and replacing the removed graphs with newgraphs that reflect the user selection.
 8. The system of claim 7,wherein the user interface is further configured to display theplurality of hierarchically related graphs such that a graph that islower-order in the hierarchy shows a more detailed breakdown of at leastone element of a respective graph that is higher-order in the hierarchy.9. The system of claim 7, wherein, for each graph that includes multiplecategories, the user interface is further configured to arrange themultiple categories in a vertical bar with magnitudes of each of themultiple categories adding to form a magnitude of the vertical bar. 10.The system of claim 7, wherein the user interface comprises a graphplane that includes the plurality of hierarchically related graphs. 11.The system of claim 10, wherein the user interface is further configuredto display a data category plane that accepts user input in a hierarchyof data categories to select which data categories to display in theplurality of hierarchically related graphs.
 12. The system of claim 7,wherein the user interface is further configured to remove graphs thatare not included in a hierarchy of the user selection and to replace theremoved graphs with new graphs that reflect the user selection.
 13. Thesystem of claim 7, wherein the user interface is further configured todisplay information regarding a category in a graph in response to auser's interaction with the graph through an input interface.
 14. Thesystem of claim 7, wherein the user interface is further configured todisplay a control plane that includes user-selectable options foraltering one or more display properties of the plurality ofhierarchically related graphs.